IN an act of greed beyond human consideration, the office of Messenger of Court in Kadoma teamed up with Turf Business Centre police details and an aggrieved father-in-law to grab 14 beasts from a villager at Silver Star Village 3 Stand 39, understandably at gun point on July 31, this year.
The 14 beasts were grabbed for settling outstanding lobola demand and settling Messenger of Court fees. The issue occured, yet, a judgement had not been handed down by Chief Nyika on the same case, which the respectable Chief said would be done once his secretary came back from Kadoma.
What triggered the action is that Trynos Tirio married Abigail Pasipanodya in 2014. They have two kids, a boy and a girl. Tirio did not pay lobola at the time. Abigail’s father Abel Pasipanodya followed up on the matter. He reported his case at Chief Nyika’s traditional court. Through his messenger, Chief Nyika summoned Make Mbwende (father guardian to Trynos Tirio) who resides at Stand Number 39 Village 3, Silver Star, Mhondoro-Ngezi together with Trynos Tirio to his court. It was on June 6 this year that the Chief’s messenger brought the summon instruction.
Tirio and Mbwende were summoned to appear before Chief Nyika on June 30, this year. Make Mbwende is Trynos’ uncle (Elder brother to his late father James Mbwende).
On June 30 Trynos and Make appeared before the Chief’s court. Present at court was Abel Pasipanodya (ID No 32-101664 m 32), cell (0773072730) (father in law to Trynos) from village 4 Silver Star also in Mhondoro-Ngezi. Also present were the Chiefs aides.
During proceedings Abel said that he wanted lobola payment for his daughter, Abigail who is Trynos’wife. We (Mbwende and Trynos pleaded with the court to pay two beasts then make payment of the remainder after some time as we could not manage to pay all the beasts at one go.
On July 2 this year, we managed to submit 2 beasts at Chief Nyika’s homestead. However, the respectable Chief insisted on us availing all the 7 beasts as per the demand made on court day. We still asked for
some time to pay.
On that very day, Chief Nyika took custody of the two beasts.
When we submitted the two beasts, Chief Nyika and our father-in- law, Abel Pasipanodya, refused to accept our time to pay request.
I, Make Mbwende sought recourse from the Clerk of Court in Kadoma on July 18, 2019. The clerk of court gave me a letter to hand over to Chief Nyika so that the respectable Chief could provide an LC44 or the Judgement on the ensuing case before his honourable court. On July 19 by 10 am I made available the letter from the Clerk of court to the chief’s Court. The Chief advised me that he would avail the judgement when his secretary, only identified as Zingwe (0784944221), returned from Kadoma, without further explanation. I honoured that instruction and went back.
To our surprise, and before the Judgement had been handed to me from the Chief’s court, we were visited upon by Abel Pasipanodya, three Turf Police Station officers and a representative from Kadoma Messenger of Court’s office located at number 2 Perry St, Kadoma (+263268225199), identified as Saul Hove (0782362752). The ZRP officers were led by Potera Wadzanayi (0773489127) accompanied by Cst Moyo (0712963577) and the other officer was only identified by name as Cst Mpofu, we could not establish his contact number.
One of the officers was armed with an FN rifle which we could openly see. We were left with no choice but to comply with their orders.
The respectable officials came around 9am in a red High Ranger vehicle saying they had come to make collection of the remainder of the lobola beasts. In our understanding, 5 beasts were the balance. We also understand we would be made to pay messenger of court fees, which, however, were not disclosed to us on that day.
At the time, as it was winter season, our cattle had been let for freerange grazing in the bushes. Under the circumstances, among the gentlemen who came to our homestead, Abel and Trynos went to look for the cattle. Our understanding was that they would get their remainder of the lobola herd (5 beasts).
In no time, they brought our 14 herd of cattle from the grazing lands. Of the 14 cattle brought, 13 had already been registered in the cattle livestock registration book except one that had not because it had just been born. All the cattle were individually recorded by the messenger of court official, Saul Hove, with the assistance of the ZRP police officers from Turf.
They left us with a record of the case number SRRY CGK 722/19
All the 14 herd of cattle were herded by Abel Pasipanodya, his son Denford Pasipanodya and Richard Dhinya going to Silver Star Village 3, homestead No 34 Mhondoro-Ngezi, into Joseph Madoda’s cattle kraal.
Interestingly, the officers and the messenger of court official did not bother to establish the owner of the cattle available, neither did they take settlement of their remaining beasts only. They took with them all the 14 beasts that had been brought from the grazing fields. All the cattle they took away belongs to Espina Zheketi (National ID 83-056151 Z 83) according to cattle stock book. Zheketi is Make Mbwende’s mother. Trynos had no beast among all those that were grabbed. We as family were left with nothing and had to buy donkeys for draught power this farming season The two donkeys cost us ZWL $1 500.
Sometime end of September, 2019, Abel Pasipanodya came back to our homestead and told me (Make Mbwende) that I should go to the messenger of court’s office in Kadoma to make a payment plan for the ZWL $2 000 for the settlement of Messenger of Court fees and, maybe have some of the beasts returned so that l would not lose so much wealth.
When they did all this, the official from the messenger of court, Saul Hove said that this was something they were dealing with as an officer of the judiciary and no other office would assist us (the aggrieved family losing cattle). He also said that even if we go to the office of President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Hove and company would still go scot free.
In our view as family, such actions are counter productive in the fight against corruption as it also paints the image of corruption fighting entities in bad light. Worse still an official who is supposed to jealously guard against corruption is the one promoting it without contrition.
Such actions, in our view and those of progressive minds, put efforts by His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to weed out corruption in our midst into disrepute.
This documemt is authored with truthful information available and should be accorded the attention it deserves. Elements in our society taking advantage of their offices (abuse of office) and the vulnerable social standing of others should be held accountable for their actions.
CC- ZRP Kadoma Central Police Station.
CC-ZRP Turf Police Station.
CC-ZRP Kadoma Dispol.
CC- ZRP Chinhoyi Propol.
CC- DDC Mhondoro Ngezi.
CC- MashWest Provincial Affairs Minister Hon. Mary Mliswa-Chikoka.
CC- Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
CC- Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC).
CC- Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson.
CC- Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
CC- ZRP Anti Corruption Unit.
CC- ZRP Commissioner General Tandabantu Godwin Matanga.
CC- Office of the President and Cabinet.
CC- Minister of Agriculture Lands and Rural Resettlement.
CC- Mhondoro-Ngezi Rural District Council.
CC- Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing July Moyo .
CC- Member of the House of Assembly for Mhondoro Ngezi, Tavengwa Mukuhlani.
CC- Senator Peter Haritatos.
CC- Judicial Service Commission chairperson.
CC- Minister of Justice Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi.
CC- Chairperson of the Council of Chiefs, Chief Fortune Charumbira.
